


mermaid magic

by The_Eclectic_Bookworm



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F, F/M, also some past giles/ethan, like....lots more people probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 03:51:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10756134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eclectic_Bookworm/pseuds/The_Eclectic_Bookworm
Summary: “Wait a minute.” Buffy looked between them. “Giles, are you courting a mermaid now?”Jenny turned pink and ducked under the water. Giles started stammering somewhat incoherently about unfounded accusations.(featuring Faith and Buffy as smitten adventurers, Willow and Tara as smitten witches, and Ethan as Giles’s broody pirate ex-boyfriend)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> that niche au fic every ship needs.
> 
> there's probably going to be more in this universe later...keep your eyes peeled

Jenny didn’t make a habit of helping pirates. Last time she’d tried was when she was a semi-rebellious, mostly curious teenager, and they’d returned her help by trying to catch her in a net and sell her off for gold to a zoo. They only narrowly missed the rocky cliff Jenny led them into. Most pirates seemed like that kind of type, honestly, so Jenny mostly tried to stay out of their way.

But there was this one  _really annoying ship_ that kept on passing by her grotto at weird hours, and she couldn’t complain about them to the Sirens anymore because Darla’s response to a problem was always “just kill them all,” Drusilla would ask very seriously if Jenny was in love with her pirate yet (she always said that when Jenny complained about pirates; Jenny was getting sick of it), and Lilah would look at Jenny with supreme disinterest and then ask if Jenny wanted to stay the night.

And one night, Jenny decided to investigate, mostly because she was really annoyed and wanted to see if the pirates were evil enough that sinking their ship would be justified and not just petty. She got up at midnight when she heard the sound of crashing waves and someone shouting orders, and swum out to the entrance of her grotto, watching with irritation.

To Jenny’s surprise, she saw that one of the men on the deck was holding a little girl, who was wearing a pirate’s hat and waving a small wooden cutlass.

“Aww,” said Jenny, reluctantly charmed. If not for the whole  _mermaid_ thing, she’d have really liked the idea of being a teacher. She swum closer, enough to just barely hear the noises on deck.

The man holding the girl took the hat off her head, smoothing down her hair and putting her very gently on the deck. The girl uttered a loud battle cry and started running around the deck, jabbing at various pirates with her cutlass.

“Dear lord,” said the man in a way that didn’t at all sound like a pirate, and replaced his hat, straightening it more times than strictly necessary before donning a pair of spectacles.

Another man came to the deck. Both of them were dressed much more neatly than the rest of their crew; Jenny surmised that they were higher up in the chain of pirate command. “Rupert,” he said, sounding a mixture of affectionate and exasperated, “when are we going to drop the girl off on land?”

“She has a name,” said Rupert. “It’s Buffy. And I am not dropping her at some random port and sailing off without making sure she’s safely settled. We still don’t know where she snuck on.”

“God Almighty, Rupert, keeping children safe is  _not_ part of the pirate lifestyle!” said the other man, who now just sounded exasperated. “I’m still of the mind that we send her off on a lifeboat and let  _her_ steer her way home, if she’s so hell-bent on adventure. She’ll probably end up sneaking off anyway. She’s more trouble than she’s worth.”

“Ethan,” said Rupert, “if you were cordial to Buffy for all of five seconds, you would understand why I care so much about her.”

“Doubtful,” said Ethan.

The little girl ran up, blonde hair streaming out behind her, and hugged Rupert around the knees. At Rupert’s smile, Jenny swum closer still. She’d heard a lot of horror stories about pirates and children, but absolutely no stories at all where they looked that fatherly and acted that protective. She didn’t trust him.

(That, or she liked him.)

 _Shut it, subconscious,_  thought Jenny, studying Rupert as he picked Buffy up.

“Had a good adventure?” Rupert inquired.

“Yes, ready to go back to land now?” Ethan added.

Rupert gave Ethan a very annoyed look and then kissed him lightly. “I’m going to put Buffy to bed,” he said. “I hope you’ll stop acting childish about all this.”

“Me—childish— _she’s the child!_ ” Ethan sputtered.

“Am not,” said Buffy. “I’m a brave pirate. Giles says.”

“Does he now,” said Ethan in a dangerous sort of voice. Jenny didn’t like that tone at all, and she especially didn’t like that neither Rupert nor Buffy didn’t seem to notice the quietly angry way he was looking at the latter. “Well.” He gave Rupert a surprisingly innocent smile. “Perhaps you’re right,” he said. “Would it be all right if I took Buffy to her quarters instead? It might be a bonding experience for the both of us.”

“ _NO,_ ” said Buffy, and held onto Rupert.

“She’s a bit clingy, lately,” said Rupert a little apologetically. “I suppose she’s gotten accustomed to me tucking her in.”

Ethan nodded. “Well,” he said. “Come to bed when you’re done, then.” He turned, striding down the deck, and headed over to a small group of men on deck.

Jenny was about to swim down and follow Ethan when she heard Buffy say, “I don’t think he likes me.”

“He’s a bit jealous when I pay attention to anyone but him,” said Rupert in a way that somehow managed to be both amused and resigned. “He wouldn’t like you if you were a carbon copy of me.”

“ _Does_  he like you?” Buffy inquired. “He seems crabby. Like a crab.”

Rupert chuckled. “He is,” he said. “But crabs are soft inside.”

“Doubtful,” said Jenny before she could stop herself.

Rupert turned, Buffy in his arms. Hastily, Jenny ducked under the water, waiting for him to lose interest. When she came back up, he and Buffy were gone, and the ship was well past her grotto.

Jenny  _could_ have let the ship run its course, wait for it to come back, and see if Buffy and Rupert were both all right then. But something about the way Ethan had looked at Buffy that last time didn’t sit well with her, and as nice as Rupert seemed, a pirate ship definitely wasn’t a good place for a little kid. She couldn’t sleep on the fact that she might be leaving a girl in danger.

“Ugh,” said Jenny, who was very accustomed to being asleep at this time of night, and started swimming.

* * *

Keeping pace with the ship wasn’t too difficult, but staying awake was. The ship stopped moving at midnight, and Jenny watched it without much trouble until five in the morning. At that point, the water started feeling cozy and warm, and she almost started to doze when she heard the splash of a boat hitting the water.

“An adventure?” Buffy was saying warily, bundled up in a blanket on the lifeboat.

 _Shit._ Jenny swum around to the other side of the ship, watching from behind the hull.

“Yes, quite,” Ethan agreed from the deck of the ship. “Giles will be  _so_ proud of you when he learns where you’ve gone. Off on your own, exploring the waters at only six years old? Why, you’re the first pirate ever to try anything like that so young.”

Buffy still didn’t look convinced. “I want to wait for Giles,” she said.

“Hmm,” said Ethan. “Shame that you’re not getting much choice in the matter, then.” He stepped away from the rail as the ship began to move, very nearly running Jenny over. Quickly, she swam to the other side, staying out of Buffy’s line of sight.

Buffy frowned. Looking out at the open ocean, a slow, excited smile spread over her face. “Youngest explorer ever,” she said, trying out the words, and started to row in the opposite direction of the ship.

“Oh no _,_ ” said Jenny softly. There wasn’t any land for miles, and a six-year-old girl definitely wouldn’t last very long without supplies even in calm waters. The situation had moved past the point of watching. Carefully, Jenny swam up to the boat.

Buffy shrieked, nearly falling over. At first, Jenny was about to apologize for startling her, but then she saw how widely Buffy was beaming. “Hi!” she said. “I’m Buffy Anne Summers and I’m six years old and my Giles is a pirate and why are you in the water?”

“Mermaid,” said Jenny, glancing worriedly over at the ship. Ethan seemed to be really moving it along; she was starting to think he was using magical means, because ships really weren’t supposed to go that fast.

“ _No,_ ” said Buffy with wide, amazed eyes. “My Giles said mermaids all went extinct a billion years ago!”

“Your Giles?” Jenny repeated.

“He won’t let me call him Father or Papa or anything because he says I already have a father and I told him I  _don’t_ because I ran away and once you run away you don’t have parents anymore so I just have to call him Giles until he admits he’s my new father,” Buffy said in one breath. “He’s  _really_ smart. He has a nice hat and he lets me wear it.”

Jenny thought back to Rupert on the ship, holding Buffy carefully in his arms. “I bet he’s worried about you,” she said softly. “Hey—can you stay here, sweetie? I’m going to see if I can catch up with that ship so Giles knows where you are.”

Buffy blinked. “What ship?”

Jenny turned, very afraid of what she was about to see. Sure enough, the only sign of the ship was a quickly fading dot on the horizon. “Oh,  _no,_ ” she said weakly.

“Giles’s boyfriend has a super fast ship,” said Buffy. “He sprinkles sparkly stuff on it sometimes to make it go even faster, but Giles always gets mad.” She smiled excitedly at Jenny. “I bet he wants me to find him!” she said brightly. “To prove I’m a  _real_ pirate. They do that kind of thing a lot in stories.”

It looked like Ethan was mostly just heading in a straight line. Jenny could probably catch up with the ship, but there was no way she could take a little kid with her. “Listen, Buffy,” she said, “can you promise me you’ll stay here if I go after your ship?”

Buffy frowned, looking somewhat upset by this. “How come?”

“Because—” Jenny cast around desperately for a legitimate reason. “Because I want to get Giles and tell him how you found me,” she said finally, “and as great of a pirate as you are, I don’t think this boat can go very fast. So I’m going to go get him, and that way he can come back and give you your—um—official pirate hat.”

Buffy considered this. Then she said, “How long will I have to wait?”

Truthfully, Jenny didn’t know. “Wait until the sky gets dark,” she said. “If I don’t come back, then that means that you might have to—” She thought. Her grotto wasn’t too far away, and while Darla and Lilah weren’t too fond of children, Drusilla would probably be able to keep Buffy safe until Jenny got back. “Go that way,” she said, pointing in the direction of her grotto. “When the sky gets dark, the mystical ladies go to their magic cave, and if you’re a  _really_ brave pirate you’ll go looking for them.”

Buffy seemed satisfied with this concept. “Okay!” she said brightly. Then, “Can I give you a kiss?”

Oh, god, if something happened to this sweet, sunshiny little kid, Jenny was going to have to murder an entire pirate ship. Or—not Rupert. Maybe just everyone else. “Yeah,” she said, and pulled herself up, supporting herself carefully on the side of the boat without overbalancing it.

“One for you,” Buffy kissed her on the cheek, “and one for Giles,” she added, hastily kissing Jenny again. “Make sure you give Giles his kiss?”

Jenny smiled. “I will,” she agreed, and began swimming. She still hadn’t slept _,_ but there was no way she could let this little girl die in the middle of the ocean. That just wasn’t right.

* * *

It took two hours of swimming for Jenny to reach her destination, which turned out to not be the ship after all. A small lifeboat much like the one Buffy had been in was floating in the middle of the ocean, and Rupert was sitting in it, looking thoroughly drained and sad.

Jenny hesitated. She wanted to go to him and tell him about Buffy, but she got the sense that whatever had happened had taken a lot out of him, and maybe a mermaid encounter wouldn’t exactly be the best or most helpful thing in the world. And—he was really cute. Really, really cute. And she didn’t like seeing him sad, and she didn’t want that sad face to be directed at her, so she swam quietly under the boat and started pushing.

She heard Rupert’s startled exclamation, but he was apparently smart enough to stay still. Good on him. Jenny was close to fainting from the lack of sleep and now the heavy boat she was pushing—mermaids were strong, sure, but Jenny was  _exhausted_ by this point. Still, she was making pretty good time.

She swam without looking for a good hour and a half until she heard Rupert exclaim again, at which point Jenny stopped the boat and surfaced behind him.

“ _Buffy,_ ” said Rupert, almost sobbing, and Jenny saw the small boat in the distance. “How—” He turned, and their eyes met.

“She said to give you this,” said Jenny, and pulled herself up on the side of the boat, kissing him gently on the cheek. She tried to remember that thing Lilah had said one time— _infuse your words with meaning, and the magic will stick._ “You’ll make it to land alive,” she said, “and so will she.”

Rupert stared at her. “A mermaid,” he said weakly.

“Don’t simplify things,” said Jenny, giddy with a combination of relief and magic. “My name’s Jenny.” Ducking under the water, she began to swim back towards her grotto. She figured Rupert could probably figure out the rest on his own.


	2. Chapter 2

“Avast!” said Buffy loudly, brandishing her new cutlass, and promptly fell out of the crow’s nest. Faith caught her.

“Right,” said Giles. “If everyone could kindly  _calm down_  and stop running about—”

“Giles, it’s such a big ship!” shrieked Willow, running by with Xander at her heels. “It’s huge! There’s this  _great_ spot where I can set up all my herbs and spices—”

“As I  _said,_ ” Giles began.

“Oh, goddess, the  _kitchen,_ ” sighed Tara dreamily, coming out of the galley with her hands pressed to her chest. “It’s  _so_ much better than our first ship, Giles.”

“If everyone would—”

“Giles Giles Giles Giles Giles!” shouted Buffy, flinging her arms around Giles’s shoulders. “ _We have a ship!_ ”

“Our ship,” said Gunn, sounding very happy about it, and grinned at his sister. Alonna beamed.

“I have a headache already,” muttered Wesley.

“You and me both,” said Giles dryly, hugging Buffy.

“What are we going to call this one?” Xander asked. “My vote’s for the S.S. Alexander Lavelle, personally, but—”

“Ahoy!” shouted Lady Cordelia suddenly, making Giles jump. “Ahoy—scoundrels and rapscallions!”

“Who put her in charge?” Willow demanded.

“No one,” said Giles resignedly. “I’m still the captain. Has everyone forgotten that I’m still the captain?”

“I was  _going_ to tell everyone to  _listen to you,_ Giles,” huffed Lady Cordelia. “ _Gosh._ ”

For some reason,  _this_ was what made everyone turn around (save for Tara, who had gone back into the galley). “Right,” said Giles again, this time with more relief. “I realize that our owning a high-quality ship is most certainly cause for celebration, but we must also take into account that we are all prime targets for pirate attacks.”

“Oooh, yeah, and he’d know,” Lady Cordelia added cheerfully. “He was Ripper the…Scandalous? Evil? What was your weird suffix-y pirate name, Giles?”

“Not the point,” said Xander.

Faith snickered.

“ _Anyway,_ ” said Giles loudly, “I’d like us all to be on our guard as we search for treasure this time around. Our success was quite noticeable last time, and it’s very possible that our new ship might attract unwanted attention.”

“We can take ‘em,” said Xander confidently, and promptly tripped over his own feet.

“ _We_  can take them,” said Buffy, stepping away from Giles to tuck an arm around Faith’s waist.

“I’m sure we can,” Giles agreed. “But I also hope that you all know the dangers—”

“Giles,” said Buffy patiently. “We’re super good at fighting. We’ve been in a bunch of pirate fights. Nothing’s going to change just because we have a shiny new ship and some actual money left over from that huge haul of treasure we found on that island. We’re in just as much danger as we always are.”

“That isn’t exactly reassuring,” said Giles quietly.

“You wouldn’t be able to function without the open ocean,” said Buffy, and kissed him on the cheek. “Come on. You totally have to see the captain’s quarters.”

“ _Wait,_ ” said Willow. “We still haven’t named the ship.”

A memory, half-forgotten, came back to Giles—the first kiss on the cheek that Buffy had delivered to him by proxy, given to him by a dark-eyed mermaid who had saved both of their lives.

“Jenny,” he said.

“ _Really?_ ” said Wesley.

“Couldn’t you come up with a name that’s more, I don’t know,  _impressive?_ ” said Faith.

Giles shook his head. “Jenny,” he said firmly. “That’s the name of this ship.”

“At least call her  _Jennifer_ ,” Xander persisted. “That sounds  _way_ better than Jenny.”

“Naming one’s ship is not an effort to impress potential attackers,” said Giles firmly. “This ship will be named Jenny.”

“I like it,” said Tara thoughtfully, coming back out of the galley and smiling at Giles. “It’s a nice name.”

“Again,” said Xander, “ _Alexander Lavelle._  You can’t go wrong with  _Alexander Lavelle._ ”

“There are more girls on this ship than guys, Xander,” said Willow. “I don’t think a male name for a mostly-female ship accurately portrays our demographic.”

“See?” Giles pointed to Willow. “We’ll paint the name on the ship before we set sail tomorrow.”

“Where are we setting sail  _to?_ ” inquired Lady Cordelia. “I did  _not_ leave the royal court just to drift aimlessly around at sea.”

“That’s actually kind of the plan,” said Buffy with amusement. “We generally just adventure until we find something worth looking for.”

“One time we found an island!” Willow added. “We all got to have a picnic. Super fun.”

Lady Cordelia made a little  _hmph_ noise.

“ _Fine,_ we’re probably going to run into some pirates,” said Buffy, rolling her eyes. “They’re all over the place lately. Most of them don’t even know how to fight—just thrill-seeking rich kids looking to cut up some people with their expensive swords.”

“Not if we cut them up first,” Faith added cheerfully.

“Let’s minimize the bloodshed,” said Giles uneasily.

“Yeah, it’ll be  _hell_  to clean up,” Gunn quipped.

* * *

Willow and Tara were making lunch together, and Giles could hear them laughing in the galley. Buffy and Faith were alternating between practicing their fighting and practicing their kissing, a fact which Giles didn’t particularly like thinking about. Certainly not because he disapproved of Buffy’s loving a woman—he himself had been very deeply in love with a man. It was simply hard for him to think about the fact that Buffy was growing up.

“Hey,” said Xander. Giles turned. “What’s the deal with the whole  _Jenny_ thing? It doesn’t seem like a name you just randomly picked.”

Giles smiled slightly. “Jenny saved Buffy’s life,” he said. “Buffy was too young then to really remember it now.”

“Oh,” said Xander, and then smiled back. “Well, hey, then that’s a  _great_ name for this ship.”

“I think so,” Giles agreed. “I—barely had the chance to know Jenny, but I’d like to think that she’d appreciate my remembering her.”

“What happened?” Xander asked. “I mean, if it’s cool that I ask.”

“It’s fine.” Giles considered how much he wanted to divulge before continuing. “When Buffy was very young,” he said, “she snuck onto my pirate ship. My lover didn’t take kindly to the fact that I had someone else in my life to focus on besides him—”

“Him?” Xander repeated.

Giles raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry. Keep going.”

“He set Buffy adrift in a lifeboat,” said Giles, “and I found out what was happening much too late to do anything about it. My crew refused to go back for her—they said I’d gone soft.”

“So what, this Jenny lady rescued Buffy and brought her back?” Xander inquired.

“Well, not a  _lady,_ per se,” said Giles. “And not exactly.”

“Then—”

“I decided that I couldn’t live with the knowledge that my choices had led for a girl to die alone and afraid in the middle of the ocean,” said Giles softly, remembering the terror of that day. “My lover didn’t take kindly to that decision. He said that if I left, he would never take me back.”

“So you left,” said Xander. “But I still don’t see where Jenny comes in.”

“Jenny was the mermaid who brought my boat to Buffy,” said Giles.

Xander blinked. “Wait,” he said disbelievingly. “A mermaid brought your boat to Buffy’s boat?”

“I know it’s a bit hard to believe—” Giles began.

“Yeah, it is, but not for the reason you think,” said Xander. “Giles, remember that one time I tried to go on a fishing trip when I was ten? I’d just become a part of your crew and you were super angry because you already had Gunn and Alonna and Faith and Wesley and it was getting hard to take care of a bunch of little kids, and then I snuck off and went on a fishing trip and you thought I’d gotten lost and freaked out and stuff?”

“I do,” said Giles. “And frankly, I’m quite glad you’ve grown out of that behavior. The girls were very frightened.”

“Did your Jenny mermaid have really short hair?” said Xander. “Like—I always read about mermaids having long hair, but then she had really short hair, and I remember thinking  _wow, I’ve never seen a girl with hair that short._ ”

“What?” said Giles a bit weakly.

Xander breathed out. “Uh,” he said. “Well, five minutes into that fishing trip, I accidentally overbalanced the lifeboat and a current carried me out to sea.”

Suddenly, Giles saw where this story was going. “You’re not saying—” he started incredulously.

“And I freaked out,” Xander continued, “and I swallowed a bunch of water, and when I woke up, I was on a piece of driftwood and this mermaid was sitting with me and talking about how she really wanted to learn more about construction and shipbuilding.”

“With dark eyes?” said Giles softly. “And—short hair?”

“Yeah,” said Xander, and smiled slightly. “She made me feel safe, which was so weird, because we were in the middle of the ocean. And then she was like ‘Xander, Giles is really worried about you, I think I need to get you somewhere he’ll find you,’ and by this point I was pretty sure I was hallucinating so I was just like ‘Okay,’ and then she took me to some fisherman’s boat, and  _he_ took me to the docks, and you guys pulled in at the docks an hour later.”

Giles remembered that day quite distinctly. Xander had been sitting on the docks, coughing and soaked. The fisherman had said that Xander had been drifting alone in the sea. “Are you quite positive it wasn’t a hallucination?” he asked carefully.

Xander gave him a pointed look. “Are  _you?_ ”

“Fair point,” Giles conceded. “It just—seems rather unusual that the same mermaid saved both our lives.”

“Are we talking mermaids?” Faith inquired with interest, coming around the corner with Buffy’s hand in hers. “I thought I saw a mermaid a few days ago. Gave me a really big smile before she went back under the water.”

Giles stared.

“Giles,” said Buffy, “I—maybe this is a good time to bring it up, but did a mermaid save our lives when I was six? I always kind of thought I made it up, or—”

“I believe I know what we’re looking for,” said Giles thoughtfully. “Or perhaps the right word is  _who._ ”

* * *

“You’re  _still_ hanging around that ship?” said Lilah. “You could be doing  _so_ much  _more_ with your life, Jenny.”

“Like ruining other people’s,” Darla put in helpfully.

“Your pirate,” said Drusilla with a sweet, easy smile. “How is he? Has he found you yet?”

Jenny turned pink. “Okay, first off, I’m not  _hanging around the ship_ ,” she said. “They just kind of happen to swing by my corner of the ocean a lot. And secondly, even if I  _did_ hang around that ship, it’s not like a lone mermaid gets a lot of opportunity to socialize, and those are  _good people._ Kind of accident-prone, but good.”

“Are we talking  _accident-prone_ in the sense that you screw with their lives, or  _accident-prone_ in the sense that they’re legitimately accident-prone?” Darla inquired. “Because if it’s the second one, I am  _so_ not interested.”

“It’s the second one,” Drusilla informed her.

Lilah sighed, lounging on a rock and looking quite attractive. “It’s been so  _long_ since we’ve spent some quality time together,” she complained. “All four of us. And now you’re off  _learning things_  and trying to figure out  _mechanics_ and  _mathematics_  on your lonesome.”

“I was always like that,” said Jenny with amusement. “I’m the inventive type. You never say anything nice about me, Lilah.” 

“ _He’ll_  have nice things to say about you,” said Drusilla knowingly. “Your pirate.”

“Please,” scoffed Darla. “Pirates don’t even bother to  _think_ nice things about mermaids, much less  _say_ them. You’re not a siren, Jenny—you don’t have eternity to waste your life on some  _reformed pirate_.”

“Oh, I’ll  _miss_ you when you die,” Drusilla sighed. “You have such a lovely heart.”

Jenny considered this. “Maybe I don’t have eternity to waste my life on Rupert,” she said finally, “but at least I don’t spend it sitting on a rock and criticizing other people’s life choices.”

Darla laughed. “Touché,” she agreed. “Are you planning on following his new ship to wherever the wild winds may take him?”

“Well, the whole hermit-mechanic-mermaid thing does get kind of old,” said Jenny with a shrug.

“You could have  _talked_ to him, all those years ago,” Lilah commented. “Instead of following him around whenever he’s in the area like a creepy mermaid stalker.”

Jenny shook her head. “Much as I’d like to,” she said, “I don’t think it would be of much use. I’m a mermaid, he’s a human—it would just get kind of depressing really fast.”

“Is it because you saw him with his boyfriend all those years ago?” Darla teased Jenny.

“For your information, he had a brief affair with a woman named Olivia,” said Jenny indignantly, hastily tacking on, “not that I was paying attention.”

“Sure.” Darla smirked.

“And besides, I can do much more good as a mysterious guardian of the sea than I ever could if they knew I was just Jenny the mermaid,” said Jenny finally. “As much as I’d like to believe that they’re good people, there’s always the possibility that I could be wrong. I really don’t want to risk that.”

“Yeah, because then you’d have  _wasted twelve years_ crushing on a pirate _,_ ” said Lilah teasingly.

“Thanks,” said Jenny, blushing and trying her best to ignore it. “Super helpful. Look, I have to go—I need to make sure I’m near their ship before sunset. I’ll see you guys when I see you, okay?”

Drusilla giggled.

“What  _now?_ ” said Darla a little irritably.

“Oh, it’ll be a while before we see  _you_ again, Mrs. Giles,” said Drusilla significantly to Jenny.


	3. Chapter 3

Giles woke up a bit before sunrise the next morning and walked idly around the ship, making sure everything was ready for their next voyage. They would set sail later that day, most likely noon, and he had some time to spend by himself before that. It was becoming strangely lonely now that Buffy wasn’t his little girl anymore; while their bond was still a strong one, her life extended beyond him and their ship and a thirst for adventure. She had her circle of friends, her training, her lady love—

“Oh,” said Giles a bit wryly. Perhaps it wasn’t really that Buffy was growing up. Buffy and Faith’s relationship had officially begun a few weeks ago, though they’d very clearly been in love with each other for years, and their being a couple made Giles even more aware of his own lack of a love life. Not that he  _needed_ one—it was just that it had been a very long time since he’d had a peer, and seeing how happy Buffy and Faith were to sit and talk made him miss that sort of intimacy.

Walking along the deck, Giles caught sight of something glimmering out in the ocean. He blinked, sure it had been a trick of the light, and stepped up to the side of the ship, taking off his glasses to polish them.

He saw a flash of tail and dropped his glasses, which fell neatly overboard with a splash.

“ _Bloody hell,_ ” said Giles, half exasperated and half worried. He certainly couldn’t take his crew on a voyage if he couldn’t see properly. Turning back to the cabins, he prepared himself to tell Buffy that they might have to make a visit to the spectacle maker in town.

“Hey!” A dark-haired blur came up to the surface of the ocean, smiling at him and holding his glasses.

Startled by the familiar cadence of the mermaid’s voice, Giles tripped and nearly fell over the side of the ship himself. His memories of her physical appearance had faded—it was only a seconds-long encounter twelve years ago, after all—but her voice had stayed with him for all those years. 

“Whoa,” she added. “Careful there.”

“What—” Giles blinked, stunned speechless. “How—what?”

“They’re okay,” said Jenny. Giles was  _quite_ sure it was her, even if he couldn’t make out her features very well. “A little soggy. Do you think you can come down here? I don’t want to risk breaking them if I throw them up.”

“I’ll—” Giles glanced nervously over at the lifeboat. He wasn’t sure he could lower it down without his glasses, and didn’t want to risk it. “I’ll come down to the dock and you can hand them to me there,” he said finally.

“You sure you can do that?” Jenny inquired.

“You seem to make a habit of saving things I care about,” said Giles with a small smile. “Not to put undue strain on you, but I expect you’ll be more than able to handle helping me if I end up falling in.”

He couldn’t quite tell, because he didn’t have his glasses, but he thought he saw Jenny’s smile widen. “You remember me?” she said.

“I owe my daughter’s life to you,” Giles replied simply. “I have no intention of forgetting  _that._ ”

“I’m—wow. I didn’t—wow.” Now it seemed that Jenny was the speechless one. “Um, how about you get off your ship and onto the dock, and I’ll swim over and meet you there with your glasses?”

“Thank you, yes,” Giles agreed. “I do appreciate it.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” said Jenny very playfully, and sunk back under the surface.

Giles stood there for a moment, smiling softly. Then he hurried off the ship, carefully making his way to the edge of the dock.

Jenny was resting her forearms on the dock, glasses placed in front of her as she studied him with a look Giles couldn’t quite place (possibly because he couldn’t see it all that well). Giles knelt down to pick the glasses up. “Um,” he said. “I—thank you.”

Jenny smiled. “Try not to go dropping  _too_ many things in the water,” she said. “I can only hang around for so long.”

Giles dried his glasses on his jacket, donning them and looking at Jenny properly for the first time. Her hair was still short, but now that he was paying attention, he saw that it was cut quite unevenly. She was wearing a carefully embroidered top with long, flowing sleeves that looked as though it was made of seaweed or kelp or some other kind of plant.

“I, er, like your shirt,” he said awkwardly.

Jenny laughed. “I have to have  _something_ to keep me busy,” she said. “There isn’t a lot for me to do out in the open ocean. This took me nearly a month to make.”

 _“Really?_ ” said Giles with interest. “That’s quite impressive.”

“Thanks.” Jenny was giving Giles a strange, sideways look, as though hoping he would bring up something else. “So, you guys are going voyaging?”

“We are,” Giles agreed, and then remembered exactly what they’d been planning to voyage for. “We were actually thinking of looking for you.”

Jenny’s eyes widened, her smile fading. “Why?” she inquired, not sounding quite as cheerful.

Giles hesitated. It occurred to him that not everyone was as grateful for mermaid help (or as unwilling to capitalize on a mermaid’s trust) as he and his crew were. “I—expect you may have had some mishaps with humans,” he said finally.

“You could say that.” Jenny kept looking at him.

“I’d like to make it clear from the start that we have no intention of breaking your trust,” Giles said, choosing his words with care, “or using you for our own gain. Financial or otherwise.”

Jenny’s face didn’t relax. “So why were you looking for me?”

Giles suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. His reason was quite ridiculous. “To—thank you,” he replied. “Formally. For the aid you’ve given to myself and to my crew.”

“To thank me,” Jenny repeated. Her voice softened. “Why  _now?_ ”

“We’ve operated out of a smaller, dingier boat for most of our career as adventurers,” Giles explained. “This is what we’ve been working for ever since Buffy and I decided that land life was no longer for us. And—this kind of success merits thanking the person—er, the  _mermaid_  who made it possible for us. So. Thank you.”

Jenny smiled at him, hesitant but genuine. “Sure,” she said awkwardly. Then, “So—you and Buffy made it back to land safely. Obviously. I’m glad for that.”

“We stayed in town for a year before we started missing the sea,” Giles replied with a small smile. “Buffy didn’t fit in well with the town girls, and I attracted a lot of attention as a fairly well-off bachelor—”

“Well-off?” Jenny repeated. “What, did your lifeboat come with a bunch of going-away money?”

Giles sighed. “My lover gave me some of his stolen gold,” he said. “Right before I left. More of a dramatic gesture than anything, as I don’t think he was actually expecting me to sail away, but I used most of it to get myself and Buffy settled in town.”

“Stolen,” Jenny said. There wasn’t any judgment in her voice, just a matter-of-fact thoughtfulness. “I forget sometimes that you were a pirate.”

“I have no intention of returning to that lifestyle, if that concerns you,” Giles said hurriedly.

Jenny smiled. “I know.”

Giles felt a strange flutter at the way she was looking at him, a soft pride in her eyes like she’d always known he was the right sort of gentleman. “Thank you,” he said shyly.

There was a clatter of footsteps. “ _Giles!_ ” Buffy called. “We can’t set sail without—” She skidded on the deck, stopping and openly staring at Jenny. “No  _way,_ ” she said disbelievingly.

“Oh, wow, is this Buffy?” Jenny beamed. “Rupert, you didn’t tell me how much she’d grown!”

“That, um, wasn’t exactly—” Giles stopped. “Rupert?”

Jenny turned a little pink. “If—you want me to call you Giles—”

“No, no, it’s—” Giles hesitated, then smiled shyly. “It’s fine,” he said softly.

“Okay,” said Jenny, who was smiling in much the same way.

“Wait a minute.” Buffy looked between them. “Giles, are you courting a mermaid now?”

Jenny turned pink and ducked under the water. Giles started stammering somewhat incoherently about unfounded accusations.

“Cool,” said Buffy with amusement. “Glad we’ve got that straightened out. Listen, if we’re not looking for Jenny the Mermaid, maybe we can just sail around looking for cool islands like we usually do. Totally ask her to come with us when she, uh,” Buffy glanced at the spot where Jenny had been, “resurfaces.”

Giles tried to collect himself. “All right,” he said finally.

Jenny popped up. “Sorry,” she said a little breathlessly. “Um—just—”

“It’s fine,” said Giles immediately.

“I’ll give you two some space,” said Buffy significantly, turning and walking back to the ship. As she boarded, Giles heard her shout to the rest of the crew, “ _Hey, everyone, Giles has a mermaid sweetheart!_ ”

“Lovely,” said Giles dryly. Jenny giggled, and he lost his train of thought. “Er—if you—”

“No, I heard what Buffy said.” Jenny said with a smile.

“Th-the sweetheart thing?”

Jenny full-out laughed. “I’d like to come with you on your voyage,” she said with amusement. “And maybe be your sweetheart too, but we can talk about that later.”

“What?” said Giles breathlessly.

“I’ll be around,” said Jenny, and disappeared under the water, leaving Giles with a small, dazed smile.

* * *

“Giles,” said Buffy. “ _Giles._ ”

“Hmm?” said Giles vaguely.

“Ship captains don’t stare aimlessly at the ocean and leave their daughters to pick up the slack,” said Buffy, half playful and half irritated. “Jenny said she’s going to come, so why not actually help me out?”

“I was—it was only a few minutes—” Giles began indignantly.

“Thirty,” said Buffy. “Thirty minutes. I’m pretty sure it would have been longer if I hadn’t intervened. Come  _on,_ Giles, we have  _work_ to do. Willow and Tara need your help with something.”

“My help?” Giles repeated. “Why would they need me?”

“Maybe because you’re the captain?” Buffy linked her arm with Giles’s. “Come on. It’s not like Jenny’s going to ditch you if you don’t stare at the ocean for long enough.”

Giles followed reluctantly, casting one last glance over his shoulder. He thought he saw another flash of Jenny’s tail, but Buffy tugged hard on his arm— “Come  _on—_ ” —and he was unable to investigate further.

“Hey, Giles,” said Willow cheerfully, looking up from the symbols she was painting in ink on the kitchen table. “You done mooning over the mermaid yet?”

“You  _are_ going to clean those up before dinner, yes?” Giles inquired, ignoring Willow’s question.

“Of course we will,” Tara answered, smiling at Giles. “I need the table clean when I start baking dessert. Hi, Buffy.”

Buffy waved. “You guys said you needed Giles?”

“Oh, it’s pretty quick,” Willow replied. “I was just wondering if he could get the mermaid to talk to us.”

“Don’t simplify things,” said Giles, smiling slightly. “Her name’s Jenny.”

“He’s got it bad,” said Buffy in a stage whisper.

Tara giggled. “I can tell.”

“Wh—” Flustered, Giles reached up to straighten his glasses and nearly knocked over the ink bottle. Willow caught it. “Why do you want to talk to Jenny?” Giles inquired, blushing furiously.

“I just think it’s a really rare opportunity!” Willow replied brightly. “There’s so much about mermaid culture that we could learn from her, and so much about human culture she can learn from us. Plus, I’ve heard that mermaids have a special kind of magic—”

“I made a promise to Jenny that my crew wouldn’t use her for their own gain,” said Giles, a warning in his voice.

“Huh?” Willow blinked, then gasped. “Oh, no, it’s not like that at  _all,_ Giles! I just really want to know as a researcher how our magics differ!”

Giles considered this. “I’ll ask her about it when I see her next,” he said finally. “Perhaps I’ll take one of the lifeboats out tomorrow and talk to her then.”

Buffy stared.

“What?” said Giles, even though he already knew.

“Giles,” said Buffy, “you’ve given everyone on the crew, like, a  _million_ lectures about using the lifeboats for anything but the ship being on fire. You’ve talked everyone through how lifeboats aren’t for joy rides, and lifeboats have to be in mint condition for actual emergencies, and—”

“Yes, well, it’s important that Willow gets the opportunity to talk to Jenny,” said Giles very loudly.

“Oh, it’s not  _that_ important,” said Willow knowingly. Tara had dissolved into unusually loud giggles and was trying to muffle them with a dish towel.


	4. Chapter 4

Jenny was asleep in the water when a lifeboat bumped against her. “What gives?” she demanded irritably, then, “Oh. Hi.”

“Oh, goodness, Jenny, I’m so sorry,” said Rupert nervously.  _Goddess Almighty, he was adorable._ “I—I realize this is early, I just—my crew seems to think it rather ridiculous that I’m making such a production of—did I hurt you?”

“No, I’m good,” said Jenny, amused, and swum over to the side of the lifeboat so that she was facing him. “What’s up?”

“One of my crew members, Willow, is a fairly skilled witch and researcher,” Rupert explained. “She, er, she was wondering if it might be possible that you would discuss your culture and society with her, and if you were interested in learning a bit more about human culture and society in return.”

Jenny’s smile flickered. “Oh.”

“Of course, if you’re not comfortable—”

“No, it’s not that.” Jenny tugged uncomfortably at the sleeve of her shirt. “I wasn’t raised by mermaids,” she said finally. “I’ve never met another mermaid in my life. I was born around the same time mermaid hunting was getting popular, and from what I can guess, my parents hid me in a remote corner of the ocean and never got the chance to come back.”

“I’m sorry,” said Rupert. It wasn’t the same kind of reflexive, anxious apology he’d given when he’d knocked her with the lifeboat.

Jenny shook her head. “It’s okay,” she said. “I definitely had an interesting childhood, but that’s a story for another time. I just don’t think I’d have a lot to offer to your Willow.”

“Oh, she’s not  _my_ Willow,” said Rupert suddenly, turning pink. “No one’s  _my_ anything.” He hesitated, then, “That’s—not really the point I’m trying to make. I  _would_ like to get to know you, Jenny.”

Jenny felt strange and fluttery about that. She’d never once had anyone say that to her, not even the sirens. “Yeah?”

Rupert smiled slightly and nodded.

His hand was resting on the edge of the lifeboat. On impulse, Jenny reached up, placing her wet hand over his dry one. Rupert looked down, startled, and then smiled shyly, turning his hand over and quietly entwining their fingers.

Jenny hadn’t felt like  _this_ before. Or—she had, when she’d first met him all those years ago, but she hadn’t expected it to last. She’d thought it might have fizzled, that she might have romanticized him too much, but—

“ _GILES I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IT IS FIVE IN THE MORNING AND YOU’RE HOLDING HANDS WITH YOUR MERMAID,_ ” came a loud voice, and Jenny noticed for the first time that the ship was close enough for them to be clearly visible.

“Not  _now,_  Buffy,” Rupert called back, very clearly blushing.

“Yes, now!” Buffy leaned over the side of the ship. “Didn’t you say you were talking to her about Willow?”

“Cute kid,” said Jenny, amused.

“She grows on you,” said Rupert exhaustedly. He still hadn’t let go of her hand. “I suppose I had better go get breakfast.”

“Ooh, breakfast?” said Jenny with interest.

Rupert paused, frowning. “What do you eat?” he inquired.

“Fish,” said Jenny. “Mostly.”

Rupert glanced up at the ship, looked down at Jenny, looked at their joined hands, and said finally, “Would you like me to bring you down some breakfast?”

“What?” Jenny blinked. “I’ve—okay. I don’t know if I’ll like your kind of food, though. I hope that’s not—” It occurred to her how little she knew about human customs. She’d forgotten all about that, what with the way Rupert looked at her; it made her feel like nothing she possibly did could be wrong in his eyes. “I hope that’s okay,” she finished.

“It’s fine,” Rupert replied easily, letting go of Jenny’s hand. She found herself missing the warmth. “I’ll have Buffy let me back up. Do you suppose you can wait a few minutes while I get food from my crew?”

“I think I should be able to,” Jenny agreed. “I’ll be here.”

Rupert hesitated. Then, to Jenny’s complete surprise, he took her hand again, quietly kissing the back of her hand before he let it drop. “I’ll see you anon, then,” he said with a small smile, and began to row the lifeboat back towards the ship.

“Oh,  _no,_ ” Jenny whispered, and tried to stop smiling.

* * *

It took Giles a good few minutes to realize what he had done, and a good few minutes after that to stop being utterly mortified.

“Calm down,” said Buffy, who looked very much like she was trying not to laugh. “She’s not going to hate you just because you kissed the back of her hand, okay? Just pick up some porridge and have breakfast with Jenny.”

“ _I’ll see you anon,_ ” Giles repeated. “Why would I say that?”

“I don’t know, that sounds pretty smooth.” Gunn took a spoonful of his sister’s porridge. “A girl said something like that to  _me,_ I’d be swooning.”

“I might have said something like that to a lady I attempted to woo once,” began Wesley thoughtfully.

“Oh, no,” said Xander. “No, no, no. Don’t tell Giles about your failed romances when he’s trying to get with a mermaid.”

“I am not trying to  _get with—_ ” Giles began indignantly.

“So you just kissed the back of her hand in a  _platonic_ way, then,” said Tara casually, taking a sip of her tea.

“Where’s the cinnamon?” Giles inquired nervously. “I need the cinnamon.”

Alonna gave him an amused smile and handed the cinnamon over. “I think you’ll do okay, Giles,” she said brightly, taking her porridge bowl back from Gunn. “I’ve read a lot about mermaids, and they usually don’t mind a little bit of friendly flirting.”

“Neither do I,” Faith added, and leered at Buffy, who kissed her nose and said something about Faith being an “awful, awful distraction.”

“Right,” said Giles, awkwardly picking up the two bowls. “I—shall go have porridge with Jenny in a lifeboat.”

“Careful you don’t spill it on your way down,” commented Lady Cordelia. “That’s going to ruin how smooth you were when you kissed her hand.”

“Smooth?” Giles repeated.

“Definitely,” said Buffy. “Girls love that kind of thing.”

“I don’t love that kind of thing,” said Faith. “It’s gross when guys grab my hand for no reason and slobber all over it just because they want to look romantic.”

Buffy gave her a very pointed look.

“Uh, I mean, way to go, Giles,” said Faith. “Super smooth.”

Giles sighed and exited the galley.

Jenny was swimming in idle circles by the time he reached her in the lifeboat, but this time she noticed him without him accidentally hitting her with the boat. “Oh!” she said. “Hi! So, what’s the people breakfast that you’ve brought me?”

“Porridge, brown sugar, and cinnamon,” Giles replied with a shy smile, sprinkling some extra cinnamon onto Jenny’s bowl before handing it over to her.

“Hmm,” said Jenny thoughtfully, taking it. “Looks gloppy.”

“To each their own,” Giles replied. “I wouldn’t recommend getting it wet. It’s quite nice dry.”

Jenny nodded, then stopped, looking down at the spoon. “Is that—do I eat that too?” she inquired with a small frown. “Do people eat metal?”

“What?” Giles blinked, then bit back a laugh. It wouldn’t do to make Jenny feel self-conscious. “No, it’s a spoon,” he explained, taking a spoonful of porridge for emphasis. “See?”

“That seems kind of unnecessary,” said Jenny thoughtfully. “Why not just use your hands?”

“Minimizing cleanup,” Giles replied. “We don’t all live in the water.”

“Hmm.” Jenny took a spoonful. Her eyes widened. “Mmm!  _Wow,_ that’s a lot better than fish.”

“Humanity does have its perks,” Giles quipped.

“Hey!” Willow stuck her head over the side of the ship. “Are you guys still having breakfast? Can Tara and I come down?”

“We come bearing bread and jam,” Tara added.

“Well,” began Giles, who was rather enjoying spending time with Jenny and Jenny alone.

“What’s bread-and-jam?” said Jenny with interest.

“Your motivation to make Giles let us come down,” Willow replied cheerfully, holding up a jar of preserves.

“ _Can_ they come down?” Jenny asked hopefully. “I’m really liking this whole not-fish theme of food you all have going. Is all your food this sweet?”

“I like your tail,” Tara said shyly. “It’s very pretty.”

“Thank you,” said Jenny proudly. “I take good care of it.”

“Fine,” said Giles. “Come down.”

Willow picked Tara up bridal-style (Tara giggled, holding onto her bundle of food) and floated neatly down to the boat, landing next to Giles.

“Is that a people thing?” said Jenny, impressed. “I don’t generally see a lot of them doing that.”

“Willow’s magic,” said Tara proudly.

“ _Really,_ ” said Jenny with interest.

“I’ve heard legends about mermaids having some affinity with magic themselves,” said Willow to Jenny as Tara climbed off her lap. Giles was feeling a bit left out all of a sudden. “Do you know how to levitate or anything?”

Jenny shook her head. “Sometimes I can make things come true if I say them with enough meaning,” she said, “but that’s about the extent of my magical abilities.”

“Ooh, not a lot of humans can do that, either!” Willow buttered a slice of bread, handing it to Jenny. “I don’t know if it’ll taste as good soggy.”

“Do you not use a spoon for this?” Jenny sounded baffled. “Rupert said you use spoons to minimize cleanup.”

“Not for  _everything,_ ” Willow explained, giving Giles a gently reproving look. Giles was quite irritated by this and took a resentful spoonful of porridge. “We use forks and knives for some things, spoons for other things, and our hands for a few things. Bread’s a finger food for us.”

“Okay,” said Jenny. “Wow.” She glanced a little shyly at Willow’s blouse. “Are those—flowers?”

“Tara embroidered them,” said Willow with an adoring glance at her lover. “She’s very talented.”

“Embroidered,” Jenny repeated, frowning slightly.

“It’s like—” Willow fumbled for words. “You use thread to—”

“Thread?”

Willow seemed very ready to fully explain the concept of thread, but just as she was opening her mouth, Buffy shouted, “ _Ship ahoy, Giles!_ ”

“What?” Giles looked up, eyes wide. “We’re in the middle of the ocean.”

Buffy gave Giles a very exasperated look. “Right,” she said. “Because ships generally turn up on street corners.”

“Oh,” said Tara tensely.

“What?” Willow squinted against the sun.

“They don’t look friendly,” said Tara.

Without thinking, Giles reached for Jenny’s hand, holding it tightly. “Pirates,” he said.

“Is that bad?” said Jenny hesitantly.

“No, we should be fine,” Giles replied. “We don’t have any—”

“Oh my  _god!_ ” shrieked Lady Cordelia. “Why is  _every ship_ I’m  _always on_ attacked by pirates?”

“Wow, and you choose to mention this to us  _now?_ ” said Xander irritably.

“—valuables,” Giles finished, and groaned. “Lady Cordelia.”

“Lady who?” Jenny glanced up at Lady Cordelia, who was wearing one of her usual fashionable ensembles and expensive necklaces. “Ohhh boy.”

“We’d best get back on board,” Giles said nervously. “This could be dangerous. Jenny, I think it’s best for you to stay back.”

“I think you don’t know me well enough to tell me what to do,” said Jenny indignantly. “I’m not just going to sit by and watch when there are pirates around.”

“That may be,” said Giles quietly, “but the pirates won’t see you as a threat. To them, you’re just as valuable as Lady Cordelia.”

Jenny hesitated, then placed a hand on his cheek, turning his face towards her.

* * *

_Infuse your words with meaning, and the magic will stick._

* * *

“You’ll be all right,” said Jenny. “You and your crew will survive, and the pirates won’t take your ship.” Carefully, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, sealing the spell. “Just—do what you can,” she said finally. “It’ll be enough.”

Rupert looked at her with wide, slightly dazed eyes. “Right,” he said, raising his fingers to his cheek. “Yes. Quite.”

“Listen, Giles, I hate to burst your bubble, but there’s a bunch of angry pirates heading our way and that ship needs its captain up there,” said Willow.

Rupert jumped, knocking the boat. “Certainly,” he agreed, letting go of Jenny’s hands. “Jenny—I know I don’t have any control over what you choose to do, but please at least try and  _think_ about what I’m saying, all right?”

“Sure,” agreed Jenny, who still had no intention of sitting idly by under any circumstances but knew that saying she would consider it would get Rupert to head back up onto the ship. “Stay safe,” she added.

Rupert smiled nervously. “We’ll try,” he replied, and began to row the boat back towards the ship.

* * *

“ _Giles,_ ” said Buffy as soon as he was back, hugging him quickly. “We’ve got about fifteen minutes before the pirates are close enough to board. Standard operation?”

Giles nodded. “Get them off the ship, try not to kill too many,” he agreed.

“Or  _any,_ ” Buffy reminded him. “We’re not on the high seas for killing.”

“Let’s chop off some heads!” shouted Faith from the other side of the deck.

“Excuse me,” said Buffy with a rueful smile. “I need to go re-explain the concept of nonviolenceto my girlfriend.”

Giles turned, facing the oncoming ship. Near the ship, he saw Jenny swimming closer.

“ _No,_ ” he hissed, trying to mime disappearing under the water.

Jenny gave him an amused smile, swimming closer to the ship. “You’re really cute, you know that?” she inquired, as casually as if there  _weren’t_ pirates up ahead.

“Go away,” Giles said as firmly as he could. “I’m the captain, and I order—”

“You aren’t captain of  _this_ mermaid,” said Jenny, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a pointed look. “If I want to stay, I’ll stay.”

Giles was about to continue arguing with Jenny, but then he noticed something unusual. “I know that ship,” he said. “Why do I know that ship?”  
Jenny’s annoyed look faded. “Oh,  _what_ are the odds?” she said with worry.

Giles looked closer at the ship. “Bugger all,” he muttered. Painted on the hull was  _S.S. Eyghon._


	5. Chapter 5

“Lady Cordelia’s locked herself in her chambers,” Tara informed Giles, strapping a cutlass to her waist. “Willow’s getting together an arsenal of spells to protect our ship, but if what you say about Ethan is true—”

“It is,” said Giles quietly.

“Then those spells aren’t going to do much good,” Tara finished.

“Giles, this defeatist attitude  _so_ isn’t your usual MO,” said Buffy nervously. “Weren’t you and Ethan in love?”

“Buffy,” said Giles, “my relationship with Ethan ended in what could be called a catastrophically awful explosion. In this case, we are actually at a  _disadvantage_ that I am this ship’s captain.”

Buffy snapped her fingers. “Hold on,” she said. “They’re only after us for Lady Cordelia, right? What if we pretend we’re a crew who kidnapped you and Lady Cordelia, we give them you and Lady Cordelia as a trade for safe passage, we keep sailing, and you and Lady Cordelia take down the ship and escape? It’s like—the epic stealth mission.”

“I don’t know, Buffy,” said Tara worriedly. “I don’t think Lady Cordelia is really the kind of person who’d do well with a stealth mission. Maybe if she’d been on our crew longer, but—”

“Yeah, but Ethan doesn’t know Lady Cordelia,” said Buffy. “All he knows is that she’s a rich dark-haired lady taking a cruise.”

“Oh, no,” said Giles.

“Oh,  _yes,_ ” said Buffy.

* * *

“This is the worst plan anyone has ever come up with,” said Faith. “And this dress is the worst dress anyone has ever come up with.”

“Please!” huffed Lady Cordelia, crossing her arms in Faith’s dress shirt. “That dress costs more than this ship!”

“Well, I can see why we’re being chased by pirates, then,” said Willow. “Faith, you’ve got the weapons?”

“Hidden under my dainty little skirt,” said Faith, and winked at Buffy.

“You know, I still think this was just a ploy so that Buffy could see Faith all dolled up,” said Xander to Tara, who rolled her eyes and went to stand next to Willow.

“Giles?” Buffy hesitated.

“I’ll be fine,” said Giles gently. “I know Ethan. He tends to spend quite a bit of time gloating, and he won’t want to kill me.”

“But you said  _catastrophically awful explosion,_ ” said Buffy.

Giles sighed. “We were once very much in love,” he said finally. “As much animosity as there is between us now, I don’t think that feeling will ever completely fade. He won’t want to kill me.”

“He better not,” said Buffy, and reached up, hugging Giles quickly. “Come back safe.”

“I’ll be back in time for supper,” Giles promised, kissing her forehead.

“Five minutes!” Gunn called.

Alonna tied Faith’s hands loosely behind her back; the sort of knots that would keep Lady Cordelia tied tightly, but not Faith Lehane. Buffy followed suit with Giles. “All right,” she said. “I’m Captain, Tara’s my first mate—”

“What about me?” Xander objected.

“Tara’s best with a sword out of any of us,” said Willow very proudly.

“I don’t know about that,” said Faith.

Willow gave her a look. “We’re not counting you or Giles,” she said. “You guys can’t really be part of our pirate crew when you’re our prisoners.”

“ _Anyway,_ ” said Buffy, “Lady Cordelia goes by Faith, Faith is Lady Cordelia, Giles is the pirate captain of a small ship that we sunk, et cetera, we’re going to see if we can trade off Faith and Giles without much fuss.”

In the sea, Giles saw Jenny, watching with worried dark eyes.  _I’m fine,_  he mouthed, but her face didn’t relax.

Buffy kissed Faith. “I don’t even  _need_ to tell you how many people I’ll kill if you end up dead,” she said.

“Bunches,” said Faith, smiling.

“ _More_ than bunches,” said Buffy, smiling back.

“Look, if you guys could stop the creepy pirate love talk, that would be really great,” said Lady Cordelia, “because the pirates are almost at our ship.”

Buffy nodded. “Hate to admit it, but Cordelia’s got a point,” she agreed.

“ _Lady_ Cordelia,” corrected Lady Cordelia archly.

“You’re a part of the crew now,” said Faith. “The whole hoity-toity act doesn’t work with us anymore.”

Lady Cordelia hesitated, then gave them all a reluctant smile. “I  _suppose_ I’ll let you use this informality for  _now,_ ” she said finally. “But mark my words—”

“ _Ripper,_ ” came Ethan’s incredulous voice as the boat pulled up next to them. “As I live and breathe.” He glanced around. “Got yourself into a spot of trouble, then?” he said with relish.

“I’ve been apprehended by these ruthless brigands!” Faith gasped theatrically, leaning heavily on a surprised Willow. “Please, kind sir—”

Buffy elbowed Faith. “ _Quiet_ , Lady Cordelia,” she said very pointedly. “Your dramatics are unbecoming for a lady of your bloodline.”

“Actually, I think it’s pretty on point,” said Xander. Lady Cordelia stepped on his foot.

“Ethan,” said Giles, holding his head high. “What do you want?”

“Only the lady, really,” said Ethan with amusement, “though I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll take you along with me as well.” He jumped neatly from his ship to Giles’s. “Which one of you is the captain?”

Buffy stepped forward, head held high. She’d tucked her hair into her hat to lessen the risk of Ethan making the connection between the small blonde girl Giles had gone after and the brave young woman who wielded a cutlass with easy grace. “I am Captain Summer,” she replied, “and I don’t want a fight.”

“We’re not looking for one,” said Ethan. “Just want the lady.” He gestured towards Faith. “We heard she’d boarded your ship a few days back.”

“She fell in love with a pirate,” said Buffy, and gave Faith a sideways smile. “She simply  _had_ to be with her.”

“ _So_ not the time,” said Giles through his teeth.

Buffy turned a bit pink. “What? Oh! Uh, anyway, we tricked her into trusting us, and we were, um, planning to…sell…her?”

“Well,” said Ethan thoughtfully. “You’re in luck. I offer the reasonable bargain of letting you pass freely if you give me the lady. And—” He paused, looking at Giles. “Throw in your other prisoner,” he said casually. Only Giles saw the tense way he held himself.

Buffy surveyed Ethan with a long, thoughtful look. Finally, she said, “I suppose it’s a reasonable bargain. But you must swear to us that no matter what happens, neither you nor your crew shall harm me or mine.”

“A scoundrel’s oath means nothing,” said Ethan with a shrug.

“Our sorceress will hold you to your word,” said Buffy.

Willow stepped forward with a polite smile. “It’s only fair,” she said. “We  _are_ giving you a very important prisoner.”

Ethan hesitated.

“Why, Ethan,” said Giles, choosing his words carefully. “Are you  _that_ willing to risk your crew for me?” 

“Fine,” said Ethan, glaring at Buffy. “Fine. I swear my crew and I won’t hurt you after you hand over the prisoners, as long as you don’t steal them back from me. How’s that?”

“Perfect,” said Willow cheerfully. “Just sign here.”

“You drew up a contract?” said Ethan doubtfully as he signed the paper.

“We always keep paperwork on hand,” said Xander. Ethan gave him a look. “Xander Harris,” Xander added with a grin. “Second mate.”

“Since  _when?_ ” demanded Lady Cordelia.

“Good lord,” muttered Giles.

“ _They_ captured you?” Ethan sounded half bemused and half delighted. “You must be slipping in your old age, Ripper. Whatever happened to that girl you went chasing?”

Giles raised his chin. “That’s none of your concern,” he said shortly.

“Died, hmm?” Ethan motioned for Giles and Faith to follow him.

“I  _refuse_  to go with you!” Faith cried dramatically. “ _What_ would my mother say?”

“ _Oh_ my god,” muttered Buffy, picking Faith up in her arms. “Looks like I’m going to have to carry Little Miss Drama Queen over to the pirate ship myself.”

Faith smirked at Giles, who personally thought that she should be taking the whole affair a bit more seriously than she was. “Right,” he said, and did his best to clamber aboard the other ship with his hands tied; Ethan’s crew had brought the two boats close enough for him to do so with only minimal effort. Giles hoped they hadn’t scratched the paint.

“We’ll be off, then,” said Ethan cheerfully. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Certainly,” Buffy agreed, placing Faith down on the deck of the  _Eyghon_.

Faith blew a kiss to Buffy. “Farewell, my lovely pirate,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “ _How_  I shall suffer through these lonely nights without you by my side—”

“Okay. Quit it, Cordy.” Buffy was very clearly trying not to laugh as she jumped back onto their ship. “Um, we’re late for…pillaging, so we have to go. But—good luck torturing your prisoners?”

“How long have you been pirating?” Ethan sounded delighted. “You’re quite clearly new to this. My  _word,_ Ripper, you  _have_ lost your touch if you let a girl like this catch you so easily.”

“Hey!” said Buffy indignantly. “I’m a brave pirate!”

Something in Ethan’s face shifted at that. “Yes,” he said slowly. “I suppose you are.” He turned to his men. “Change of plans, boys,” he said. “I know we really were looking forward to all the ransom money from Lady Cordelia, but I think it might make a  _bit_ more of an impression if we throw her overboard.”

“Are you  _mad?_ ” one of the men demanded.

“Start sailing,” said Faith.

Ethan smiled slightly. “We’ll have to tie the knots a bit tighter, then,” he said. “I have  _no_ intention of letting  _either_ of you live.”

“Giles, that was  _so_ not part of the plan!” Willow burst out. “You were all like ‘oh, he’s not going to kill me, he still loves me’ and now he’s going to  _kill you!_ ”

“ _Shh!_ ” said Buffy in a panicked whisper.

“I’m  _sorry,_ ” Willow replied miserably.

“Why, Rupert,” said Ethan with theatrical surprise. “Do you know these people?”

Giles looked from Ethan to Buffy, and saw the small, clearly visible tendril of blonde hair that had escaped from the latter’s hat. “Oh, no,” he said softly.

“I’m  _shocked,_ ” said Ethan. “Really, Ripper. The lengths you take just to protect your ridiculous crew of children, and it’s all for naught.” He nodded to the gentleman next to him. “Ready your weapons,” he said. “Spike, if you  _don’t_ mind—”

“Actually, I do,” said the gentleman next to Ethan. “I  _very_ much do. I was fine with you chasing down your ex-boyfriend’s ship when it meant we’d be getting ransom money for the lady,” he tipped his hat to Faith, who rolled her eyes, “but now you’re just throwing them both overboard? That’s a bloody waste of our time, Rayne.”

“ _Who_ is in charge?” Ethan demanded.

“For  _some_ godforsaken reason, everyone around here  _continues_ to listen to you,” Spike continued, his voice getting louder. “Even when  _all_ you do is run after Giles like he didn’t choose the girl over you twelve years ago. Well, I’ve had enough of it, and so have the rest of us!” He turned to Ethan’s men, who were nodding in agreement.

“Way to go, Giles,” said Faith with interest. “You started a mutiny.”

Spike grabbed Faith around the waist. “She isn’t going overboard!” he roared. “We’re getting that money if we have to kill you for it, Rayne!”

“ _Hey!_ ” Buffy shouted, jumping over and landing on the deck of the Eyghon. Her hat tumbled off, hair spilling down her shoulders as she pulled Faith away from Spike and into her arms. “ _Nobody_ messes with my sweetheart.”

“And you were calling  _me_ out for being theatrical,” said Faith dryly, tugging at her bonds. They fell neatly to the ground. “Looks like we’re in for it now.”

“Not  _now,_ ” said Spike irritably. “I’m trying to stage a mutiny here. Can you all just—hold on a second so we can get things sorted?”

Buffy and Faith looked at each other, then at Spike. “ _No,_ ” said Buffy.

Tara drew her sword. Xander, Wesley, and Gunn all followed suit.

“Oh, come on,” snorted Ethan. “You’re all clearly outnumbered. What on earth do you think’s going to hap—”

A piece of kelp hit him in the face.

“Oh, lord, Jenny, not  _now,_ ” Giles muttered.

“I heard that.” Jenny pulled herself up so that she was sitting on the edge of the ship.

“Wait, did that mermaid really just scale the ship?” inquired one of Ethan’s men. “That’s pretty impressive.”

“Thank you,” said Jenny, smiling sweetly, and then stabbed Spike in the arm.

* * *

All hell broke loose.


	6. Chapter 6

Giles actually lost track of Jenny in the commotion, which was  _extremely_ frightening given that she was a mermaid and therefore certainly not suited for combat with pirates. Mostly, he was just trying to find her and fight his way back to the ship, but Ethan seemed hell-bent on starting a dramatic duel with him.

“Bugger  _off,_ ” said Giles, trying to block one of Ethan’s showier sword moves. “I’m not in this for a fight.”

“Well, bully for you,” snapped Ethan. “You  _left_ me. I didn’t get to run off and start my own little pirate ship.”

“ _You already had a pirate ship!_ ” shouted Giles.

“Yes, and look how well  _that’s_ going,” said Ethan, gesturing towards one of the men, who was dueling with Spike. “I don’t think they even know who they’re fighting.”

It was then that Giles noticed something rather odd. While all of Ethan’s men were bruised and battered, there wasn’t so much as a rip in Tara’s jacket or a scratch on Xander’s face. He thought back to Buffy’s word choice— _neither you nor your crew shall harm me or mine_ —and smiled slightly. Clever girl.

“Everyone, get back to the ship,” he called, not sure if he would be heard over the din but trying nonetheless. “Don’t try and take me or Faith with you. We’ll follow when we can.”

He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw Lady Cordelia nod.

“Hey,” called Willow. “Giles, there’s a prisoner below decks. I’m taking her with us.”

“Wh—” Giles glanced at Ethan.

“You’re not going to make it,” said Ethan confidently. “Take as many prisoners as you want.”

Giles looked around. Most of Ethan’s men had started fighting each other instead of actually making an effort to attack Buffy and her crew. Spike was standing on a barrel and yelling some kind of dramatic speech about mutiny. “Right,” he said. “I don’t think it’s  _my_ ship that’s lost its touch in the last few years, Ethan.”

Ethan opened his mouth to say something, and then stopped, his eyes fixed on something over Giles’s shoulder. A slow, cruelly amused smile spread over his face. “Perhaps,” he said. “But I don’t expect your mermaid will last all that long where she’s at.”

Giles turned, heart pounding, but didn’t see Jenny behind him at all.

Ethan hit him very hard in the side of the head.

The last thing Giles thought before he lost consciousness was  _I cannot believe I fell for that._

* * *

Jenny had reluctantly realized that Rupert was actually pretty right about her needing to stay out of fights, because maybe stabbing a guy and then trying to fight with a tail and a limited sense of balance was a bad idea, and had then decided to hang out in the ocean until she saw that things were getting really bad. When she saw Rupert hit the ground, she decided that that constituted  _really bad,_ and tried to scale the ship again.

Someone caught her wrist just as she was pulling herself up.

“So,” said Ethan, twisting Jenny’s wrist. “The apple of Ripper’s eye. Couldn’t he have picked someone a bit less scaly?”

“Why don’t you just work through your jealousy issues and let these people go?” said Jenny through gritted teeth. 

“You forget, love,” said Ethan with disinterest, pulling her up and onto the deck. “I’m a pirate, not a gentleman.”

“Guys—we need to turn this ship around,” Jenny heard Buffy shout from the other ship. “Giles is in trouble.”

“Remember our deal, Buffy?” Ethan inquired. “The one your little witch attached a bit of magic to? You’re all safe as long as you don’t come back for my prisoners. Granted, a few escaped on their own, but I expect that counts as a loophole.”

“I can’t leave Giles,” said Buffy softly.

“He left  _me,_ ” said Ethan, and for a moment, his voice wavered.

Jenny decided that now was the time to try and take action. Unfortunately for her, it also happened to be the time that Spike decided to finally get back at her for that hit she’d gotten in. She felt a sharp pain at the very base of her tail, and looked down to see blood on the wooden boards of the  _Eyghon._

“ _Thank_ you, Spike,” said Ethan with satisfaction.

“That was  _not_ about you,” said Spike. “I still want to be in charge.”

“Oh, for—” Ethan picked up Jenny and threw her over the side of the ship.

* * *

Giles came to because Spike and Ethan were shouting at each other and everyone seemed to have stopped fighting in order to watch them. Really, he didn’t think he was too far off the mark when saying that he very much thought Ethan’s crew had become rather ineffectual since he’d left it. He climbed to his feet, still a bit dizzy, and that was when he saw the trail of blood in the water.

Perhaps Giles was still a bit out of it, because never under any circumstances would he have dived out of a ship in his right mind. He didn’t even consider the serious risks of doing something like that. But it hurt  _tremendously_ when he hit the water, and then he started considering that maybe he might have made a mistake. Too dazed to swim, he sank instead.

* * *

It took Jenny a few seconds to recalibrate after hitting the water, especially when she saw her tail. Spike had shot a bullet clean through one of her fins, and it was bleeding profusely. Jenny couldn’t think of a time that she’d ever been this hurt.

But Rupert was still up on that ship, and Jenny couldn’t let him die up there. She was just about to pull herself up to the surface when Rupert hit the water next to her, eyes half-shut and sinking fast.

“ _Fuck,_ ” said Jenny under the water, and swam.

It was the most painful thing she had ever done. Her injured tail was weighing her down, and she was mostly pulling herself forward with her hands, but damned if she’d let Rupert drown when she’d put all that effort into saving him years ago. And he was  _sweet,_ and he had that whole family who would miss him if he was gone, and Jenny wanted to  _know_ him in more than just a he-seems-really-wonderful sense.

It took a terrifyingly long time to reach him, but she held on tightly when she did, pushing as hard as she could against the water. She  _wouldn’t_ let him die.

Rupert’s glasses slipped off his nose.

Jenny held onto him with one hand and grabbed the glasses with the other, tucking them into his pocket. She felt Rupert stir in her arms and then hold on tightly to her, shuddering against her as she pulled them to the surface.

Rupert gasped, arms around Jenny’s shoulders. Jenny was feeling a little dizzy from the blood loss, but still tried her best to support him. Turning her head, she laughed weakly. “Well,” she said, voice small and thin. “Looks like my mermaid magic worked after all.”

Rupert slid an arm around her waist. When had he become the one supporting her? “Buffy’s coming,” he said. “I can see her. I think she saw me fall off the ship. Either way, she’s—she’s coming.”

He seemed pretty much okay. Jenny let herself slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

“Yikes,” said Fred.

“Will she be okay?” asked Willow anxiously.

“Well, I’m not exactly a mermaid expert, but I can do my best to patch up the wound,” Fred replied. “Maybe make some waterproof bandages so it won’t get infected or bleed in the water.” She smoothed down Jenny’s hair. “Sprained wrist,” she added. “Might need a splint for that.”

Buffy came over to Giles’s chair, handing him a cup of tea. “How you holding up?” she asked.

“That was a bit too close for comfort,” said Giles finally. “And I don’t think it’s the last we’ve seen of Ethan.”

“He always was a pretty persistent guy,” Buffy joked nervously. When Giles didn’t smile back, she looked down. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said finally, and hugged him very gently. “I was—I’ve never been that scared, Giles. You’ve always been there for me, and I had no idea what to do.”

“You saved my life,” said Giles, soft and proud. “And Jenny’s. I think you did quite well, Buffy.”

Buffy gave him a small, hesitant little grin. “I hope so,” she said.

Wesley lifted Jenny carefully up off of Giles’s bed, moving her into the tub of warm seawater that Willow had prepared. Jenny made a soft, sleepy noise, curling under the water.

“Rest should do her some good,” said Fred to the group, smiling nervously. “Plus, I’ve read a lot of stuff about how mermaids need seawater to survive, so—”

“Thank you for this,” said Giles.

Fred turned. “What? Oh, it’s nothing! I’m just—grateful to be out of that ship.” She laughed nervously. “Nice to be out and about in the sun again, you know?”

“Most certainly,” Giles agreed.

“I’ll go find some dry bedsheets for you,” Tara said to Giles, glancing at the damp, slightly bloody spot Jenny had left on the sheets.

“I think I could use some dinner,” said Faith. “You up for some dinner, my pirate love?”

“Are you  _ever_ going to change out of that dress?” Buffy teased her.

Faith shrugged. “Kinda grew on me.”

The crew left, chattering with tentative cheerfulness, and Giles was left alone with a half-asleep Jenny. Uncertainly, he got up, walking over to the tub and kneeling down in front of it.

Jenny stirred.

“Hello,” said Giles gently.

Jenny’s eyelashes fluttered. Under the water, her eyes opened, and it took her a few slow seconds to surface. “Hi,” she said, her voice equally quiet, and rested her forearms on the tub so that she was facing Giles. “Why am I wearing a dress shirt?”

“Your, um, kelp shirt was somewhat—destroyed,” said Giles awkwardly, “and the newest member of our crew was quite determined to preserve your modesty.”

“Okay,” said Jenny, smiling slightly. “You all right?”

“I am,” Giles replied, reaching tentatively out to stroke her cheek. Jenny’s eyes fluttered shut at his touch, her smile softening. “You were very brave,” he murmured.

“Thank you,” Jenny whispered, her head falling forward. Her nose nudged his.

Giles lifted his hands, cupping Jenny’s face, and pressed his mouth gently to hers. Jenny uttered a soft, happy exclamation against his mouth and kissed him hesitantly back, her hands fluttering to rest on his shoulders.

Jenny pulled back a bit, resting her forehead against his with a contented sigh. “I  _really_ like this,” she mumbled a little dazedly.

“I quite like  _you,_ ” said Giles, and kissed her again.

* * *

“Giles, you’re soaking wet,” said Buffy with amusement. “Did you… _fall_ into Jenny’s bathtub?”

Giles smiled slightly and didn’t say anything.

* * *

Not many things changed. Fred, their newest crew member and aspiring medic, was a lovely young girl, and seemed very grateful to everyone on board for helping her get away from Ethan’s crew. Buffy and Faith continued to kiss in ridiculous locations when they really should be practicing their fighting, and practice their fighting during the times when it might be more convenient if they were kissing. The  _Mermaid_ (Giles felt it a bit odd to name the ship  _The Jenny_ when she was no longer a mystical, mysterious figure, but still did want to keep the general sentiment of the gesture) sailed on.

Jenny’s tail was healing quite nicely, and she had a lot to say about the way Giles ran his ship. Giles didn’t mind in the slightest.


End file.
